Pokemon Courtship - Chance Meeting
by Cottonmouth25
Summary: Driven from his territory, a lone Goodra wanders into the nearby forest with nowhere else to go. But the dense woods are home to dangers he isn't equipped to defeat – including the local apex predator, the reigning queen of the jungle. One-shot, part of a series. Goodra (male) x Sceptile (female).


**Chance Meeting**

-.-.-.-.-.

There was an intruder in the forest.

Small Pokemon would hear it crashing through the bushes and flee in terror. No predatory Pokemon they knew of could make so much noise. So the creature was undoubtedly something massive – massive and unknown. Whenever they heard the terrible din of trees being shaken and shrubs being flattened, they would drop whatever they were doing and run as if the sky was on fire.

In this part of the forest, a lush, green place far from human habitation, the morning arrived as peacefully as it always did. The sun peeked above the horizon, its soft early rays revealing a forest still wrapped in thick sleep, with a chilly mist floating above the ground and dewdrops dripping from every leaf and blade of grass that could be found. Quiet birdsong floated through the trees, but other than that, it was totally silent.

Then something big began to stir. A low rumble traveled for miles across the landscape. Through the dense undergrowth, patches of purple hide could be seen as the thing began its trek anew.

Immediately, the forest was in an uproar. Pidgey and Fletchling swarmed into the skies, chirping and shrieking. Bunnelby and Patrat zigzagged through the dense undergrowth in sufficient numbers to create a commotion of their own, rustling ferns and disturbing decomposing leaf piles. Caterpie and Scatterbug crouched on their tree branches and shivered, hoping they would go unseen.

Among the native Pokemon, the message was clear – run or it would catch you.

But the creature wasn't interested in any of them. It had its own problems to keep it occupied. And even if it was aware, it would've been more likely to help them than hurt them.

For this unusual visitor to the remote jungle was a Goodra, guardian of the great Kalos wetlands.

He was an older male, having reached his adult size several years ago. Goodra were enormous dragons with slimy skin and no scales – they could afford to lose such irrelevances because they lived exclusively in marshy swamps where access to water was not an issue. They went unchallenged by virtually any other Pokemon in the wetlands where they reigned supreme, and when they were, they could rely on their muscular antennae and unmatched endurance to stand up to any threat.

This lone adult, whom shall be called Giant, was confused and weak. He had been stumbling through these woods for days, unable to catch more than a few mouthfuls of food per day in the unfamiliar environment. The cold mornings made him slow and sluggish, and the tree canopy severely reduced the energy he could get by sunning himself. Despite these hardships, Giant had nothing to go back to, and so he forged on in hopes of finding a new feeding ground.

As with all Goodra, Giant had established an expansive territory for himself and the smaller Pokemon around him. Such a massive creature needed to eat vast quantities of food to sustain himself, and he kept on the move daily in search of this food while at the same time keeping an eye out for other Goodra. Despite being the most placid Dragon-type Pokemon known to mankind, Giant was still highly territorial and defended his home from other males in nonlethal battles. He'd used his horn-like antennae to wrestle with many a competitor in the past.

This year, though, that had all changed. Migrating Pokemon frequently used the wetlands as a rest stop on their journey north in the springtime, which was when Pokemon in the swamps began their yearly mating season. Giant had been resting in his favorite pond when he had startled one of the migrants, a Noivern drinking and bathing at the water's edge. It had attacked viciously, and while he had gotten out alive, the Goodra had survived with nasty wounds that would almost certainly turn into scars.

The day after, while wandering through his newly re-established territory, Giant had come across another male Goodra. They had butted heads, and Giant's injuries had prevented him from fighting at his full strength. The result was the invader pushing him out of his home.

Giant had come to the forest because all the neighboring territories were also defended by Goodra, none of which he was willing to challenge in his condition. The woods were a whole other world for a Pokemon that had lived his entire life in the swamp, but Giant reasoned that it would provide him with shelter as he healed. Then, he'd be ready to take back his territory.

But surviving in the woods was hard. There was far less water, and after a few days of wandering, Giant was already beginning to feel dry. The plants were tougher and more fibrous than the ones he was used to, and there were no slow-moving Wooper or Lotad for him to eat either. Combined with the chilly mornings and the enclosed environment that made it impossible to take one step without crushing a bush or passing through a fern bed, the Dragon-type was vulnerable.

This morning started off much like the others. It took Giant much longer to get his blood circulating and his body temperature up than a normal day in the wetlands. He went on the move in search of an easy meal, or a lake, or maybe a combination of the two. His every move broadcasted his presence to the rest of the forest, sending small Pokemon running for cover in all directions. Giant only paused to root around for mushrooms, which were the only things soft and immobile enough for him to eat in this unsuitable habitat.

Once he was finished his meagre breakfast, Giant lifted his head and allowed a loud rumble to vibrate from his throat. His antennae twitched every few seconds, searching for any sounds or scents that would spell trouble for him. Detecting nothing out of the ordinary, Giant grunted with satisfaction and continued on his noisy, agonizingly slow travels.

But wait! There was a new scent in the air, Giant realized. It was hidden under the smell of wet grass and decaying leaves, but it was certainly present, and strong enough for him to track from here. Curious, the Goodra shifted direction and pushed his way into a denser part of the deciduous forest.

It wasn't long before Giant's keen senses led him directly to the source of the smell. Underneath a dead tree tipped over onto its side, there was a small crevice where the tree's trunk was balanced against a large grey boulder. As he had smelled, there were rotting leaves stuffed into the crevice, but it was the underlying scent that he was after. Ducking his head down, he reached inside with his flexible antennae and dragged out the mass of leaves along with whatever was underneath.

Giant blinked in bewilderment at the dead Pokemon that lay exposed on the forest floor at his feet. He didn't know it, but he was staring at the carcass of a Deerling that had been killed a couple of days prior, the untouched parts of its body still covered in the luscious pink coat that all Deerling wore at this time of year.

Carrion normally wasn't the food of choice for a Goodra, as Giant reflected. He preferred grazing on water plants and fungi, and occasionally catching one of the sluggish swamp dwellers for a boost in protein. But right now, Giant was looking at the only real option for food he had come across in days, and this was certainly not the time to be picky.

His decision clear, Giant sat down on his tail to enjoy his meal, too hungry to acknowledge the unusual scent of an unfamiliar Pokemon that still lingered around the area.

-.-.-.-.-.

Up in the branches of a tall tree, another large Pokemon was finishing off its early-morning sunbathing session. Beady yellow eyes blinked alertly, focusing on a Fletchling that had perched a little too closely on a branch just above it. Its head shot up and its toothless jaws closed on nothing but twigs, missing the feathery snack by just a millisecond. Its victorious tweet carried out over the forest canopy, taunting the predator.

The Sceptile snorted, lashing her tail in annoyance. She, who shall be known as Queen, had been hoping for a quick mouthful after she was finished sunbathing, but this time she was out of luck. She'd have to go hunting down on the ground again to satisfy her appetite.

It was nothing at all for Queen to climb her way down the tree. Despite her size, she was confident in her agility and razor-sharp claws that allowed her to effortlessly scale the vertical trunk no matter if she was heading up or down. When she reached a reasonable height above the forest floor, she jumped the last bit of distance, her feet sending up a spray of mist when they hit the ground. This early in the morning, it was a bit chillier than Queen would've liked. But whereas most reptilian Pokemon would need several hours to get their body temperature up to adequate levels, Queen had a leafy tail that packed enough chlorophyll to get her energized in a relatively short amount of time.

One of those slow-moving creatures would make a good meal for her, come to think of it. That is, provided she could find one. Photosynthesis was all she needed in the short-term, but she still needed to hunt to survive.

Raising her head, the Sceptile flicked out her tongue to taste the air, testing it for scents that may or may not lead to a potential meal. Almost immediately, she got something familiar – just downwind of her sunbathing tree was the Deerling carcass she had hidden yesterday. She decided to check that first. Admittedly, it'd be unwise to eat the food she had specifically saved for a day where she was having a bad hunting day, but there was always the chance that smaller Pokemon had been drawn to it.

Queen dove smoothly into the underbrush, moving faster than any other forest Pokemon could at this hour. Her forest-green scales blended in seamlessly with the bushes, making it appear as though she had simply disappeared. She cared not about being hidden from her enemies when she was the most formidable creature in this neck of the woods, but she certainly didn't want any potential prey to see her coming.

She slowed down her progress when she felt the scent of the cached meal grow stronger. Stealthily, keeping her body low to the ground so as not to disturb the bushes any more than necessary, she continued forward. But when she got close enough, she noticed that there was a new scent mixed in with the dead Deerling – one unlike anything she had ever smelled.

Her beady yellow eyes glowed in the dim morning light as she peeked through the long grass growing at the edge of the clearing where she had stashed her kill. Yes, there was the log she had hidden it under. But there was something huge and purple crouched over it, its back turned to her.

What was it? Queen allowed herself a moment to wonder about it. One thing she could clearly see, the intruder was at least as large as she was, and much bulkier. There was no way such a rotund Pokemon could be a predator of her caliber, but its sheer _size_ instantly made it a threat. Queen couldn't afford to let this thing roam free in _her_ territory.

Giant, for of course it was he, had curled one of his antennae around the Deerling's leg and was ready to pull it right off so he could eat it. Carrion wasn't something he particularly enjoyed, but his rumbling belly demanded satisfaction. He tore off the leg with only minimal effort and held it up to his mouth –

Something exploded against a tree, close enough to Giant to almost topple him over. The ear-shattering blast frightened him to his feet, antennae flexing as he prepared to defend himself. Breakfast was forgotten. He heard something disturbing the bushes and whirled around to face his attacker, growling lowly.

A lean, green Pokemon stalked out of the foliage, the edges of her mouth smoking from the Bullet Seed she had fired. Queen hissed loudly, raising her arms to better show off the razor-sharp blades positioned near her wrists. She shook out her tail, the needles making a conspicuous and threatening rustle.

Although he had never seen a Sceptile before, Giant could tell enough from her appearance that she was a potential threat. Weak and starving as he was, the Goodra knew he only stood a slim chance of repelling her, and an even slimmer chance of scaring her off of what was clearly her territory. But he had to try for his own survival.

Spreading his arms and antennae out wide, Giant opened his mouth and bellowed, the sound scaring every Pokemon for kilometers around. Queen hissed back, repeating her previous threat display.

Warily, both Pokemon faced off, with Giant standing his ground while Queen circled slowly around the edge of the clearing, jaws slightly open and forearms raised, ready to attack at a moment's notice. Neither seemed to want to make the first move, both content with hanging back and observing their respective foe.

Just then, Queen made the first move. The inside of her mouth glowed green for the briefest of instants before another Bullet Seed fired, this time aimed directly at her foe. Giant acted on reflex, the air around him shimmering bright blue as he called a Protect barrier into existence to block the explosive seeds. They collided with the field with a deafening *BANG*, filling the air with smoke that was slow to clear.

His vision momentarily compromised, and unable to smell much with the scent of smoke heavily saturating the air, Giant collected energy in his mouth and took a wild guess. A purple beam – Dragon Pulse – shot outwards and pierced through the smoke to make impact with a stack of rocks on the other side of the clearing. The unfortunate inanimate objects were blown to dust, while Queen jumped aside and went unharmed.

The confrontation went on for another minute or two. The Goodra and Sceptile would launch their moves at one another, never hitting their opponents directly. Giant would either protect himself with a shield or manage to avoid the worst of the attack, only getting hit with the resulting explosion or flying debris that accompanied each miss. Queen, on the other hand, was quick enough to dodge everything Giant threw at her completely, although she too was grazed by the blast radius of the odd projectile attack.

Neither of them felt comfortable enough to resort to close combat. That was something they only wanted to resort to if things became desperate. If Queen couldn't force the intruder from her territory, and if Giant wasn't able to deter the predator… then they'd have to fight with their backs against the proverbial wall.

This time, a Dragon Pulse and Solarbeam were fired at the same time. The collision resulted in an explosion much larger than any other up until this point, throwing both combatants off of their feet. It took much more time for Giant to get up off the ground than Queen did – he was still weak from injury and hunger, and had lost yet more energy from this brief bout. His limbs, normally quite sturdy, shook with exertion as he staggered weakly into a standing position.

He tried to take another step forward, and stumbled, wincing. Grunting uncomfortably, the great Dragon-type attempted to recover from his moment of weakness by shifting his weight so that it was easier for his tired legs to bear.

Queen, having gotten to her feet much more swiftly, noticed that her foe seemed to be struggling. She felt a surge of confidence. Her enemy bore what looked like scars of a recent conflict, but he had been powerful all the same. Now, she had solid proof that she was wearing him down into a more weakened state.

She hissed, grinning a predator's grin. This fight would be over soon. Either the purple Pokemon would flee her territory for good, or he'd die from his injuries. She wasn't picky about the outcome she got, as long as he was gone.

Giant, though, grimaced as he shuffled forward on a newly-injured leg. His heart was racing, his instincts screaming at him to fight or flee. He was in no condition to fight, but at the same time, he could not afford to lose this battle. The fearsome green Pokemon was a predator, and she was hunting him. His life was on the line.

Seeing the Sceptile flex her claws and arm blades as if in preparation for an attack, Giant suddenly panicked. In that moment, he drew upon the last reserves of power within his exhausted body and expelled it out as a lightning-fast Dragon Pulse. Before Queen could react, the destructive draconic energy slammed into her and filled the clearing with thick smoke, drowning out her cry of pain.

The black cloud cleared in moments, revealing a small trench-like hole in which the grass and shrubbery had been torn violently from the ground, leaving ashy remains behind. Queen lay on her side in the crater, her eyes closed and flanks heaving with every breath she took. Her claws and tail twitched, but other than that, she looked to be in too much pain to move. Angry burn marks slashed across the otherwise pure greenness of her scales, turning them an ugly red-black.

At the sight of his now helpless foe, Giant stopped. Suddenly, the tables had turned – it was now the predator that needed saving.

Another instinct was triggered within him. Goodra were, as a rule, protectors of the swamplands they ruled. Despite it not being above them to snag an occasional small Pokemon for their diet every now and again, Goodra were known for being big-hearted and accommodating creatures that cared for those in their marshy domains.

It was this protective instinct that rose to the surface when Giant saw Queen lying, crippled and vulnerable, on the forest floor.

A Pokemon needed him.

One that tried to kill him, but it needed him nonetheless.

The instinct to heal and protect was powerful. It could not be resisted.

Ignoring his own pain, he moved closer, his feet sinking heavily into the soil as he did so. He extended his antennae and lightly brushed them against the reptile's burns, preparing to apply the mucus his skin constantly excreted to the wounds.

Queen's eyelids fluttered when Giant came into contact with her burns, her legs weakly kicking out in a subconscious reaction to the pain most likely shooting through her system with every touch. But other than those instinctive movements, she did not stir, seemingly having already fallen into unconsciousness.

Lashing his feelers with slight frustration, Giant let out a low, comforting rumble to try and soothe his foe-turned-patient. Pokemon always fought, always struggled, when they felt pain. But pain had to be endured before one could heal – Giant knew this. His protective nature compelled him to come to the aid of many an injured Pokemon in the past. Many were often so injured that they sunk into a delirium and attempted to fight him in their agony.

Confidently, Giant knew his mucus would be able to start the healing process in Queen. It was thick enough to block out sunlight or bitter cold, sticky enough to seal up cuts, and slimy enough to trap and snuff out opportunistic infective agents. While it was fresh, it could moisturize skin and scales. When dry and hardened, it could even protect against shallow cuts from thorny foliage or smaller Pokemon.

The moisture would feel good against those nasty burns, Giant knew. They would protect those vulnerable spots from further damage. But the hardest part would be to convince Queen, half-delirious with the agony _he_ had inflicted upon her, that he could help her.

Again, he uttered a low rumble. The Goodra approached slowly while keeping up the soothing sound, hoping to quell the predator's rage. Queen reacted, twitching her tail and weakly scraping her claws against the soil as if in protest. If she'd been in better condition, that tail would be lashing at full strength and those claws would be slicing through the air.

She didn't want him to approach, but she was in no position to deny him.

Giant rumbled a third time. Queen's movements slowed, her eyelids fluttering again as she attempted to awaken. She could not find the strength to, and settled down mere seconds later. Her breaths came harshly, but more slowly than before.

Satisfied, Giant sat down on his posterior and bent his neck over the wounded Sceptile. He let his feelers go to work, slithering over the burnt scales like gigantic earthworms and applying their moisturizing slime. The injured reptilian Pokemon stiffened all of a sudden and kicked out feebly as an instinctive reaction to the pain. Again, Giant rumbled soothingly as he continued to lather Queen's burns with mucus. Her struggles gradually weakened as she worked herself to exhaustion.

In minutes, Giant had successfully treated all of her burns. He rumbled again, this time in satisfaction as he stood up to admire his work. Already, the ugly wounds were looking much better.

Now, with no food or attacking Pokemon to distract him, the Goodra's feelers twitched as he picked up the smell of water from somewhere nearby. Excitement coursed through him, giving him a reenergizing thrill. He no longer felt the cold chill of the early morning, no longer yearned for the warmth of the marsh. Right now, water was all he wanted.

Guiltily, he looked back at Queen, fully unconscious now. He couldn't just up and leave his patient. His protective instincts were simply too strong, and they wouldn't fade until he was sure the green Pokemon was able to take care of herself again. No, leaving her was out of the question – the best solution would be to simply take her along.

With difficulty, Giant managed to drag the limp Sceptile onto his back. That, in fact, was the hardest part – he was more than strong enough to carry her weight for a time, and his antennae were flexible enough to hold firmly onto her.

Putting one foot in front of the other, the previously lost, endangered Pokemon became another Pokemon's savior. Giant determinedly marched forward despite the size of the dead weight on his back, heading slowly but surely toward the smell of water somewhere in this forest.

The sun has risen higher in the sky by the time Giant pushed aside the last of the trees and found himself standing out in the open, on the sandy banks of a small lake. The cold morning mist had long since lifted, and the direct exposure to the sun brought warmth to the Goodra's skin.

Grunting with contentment as he felt his blood start to warm at last, the great purple Dragon-type let his passenger slide gently off his back and into the shade provided by the trees growing nearest the edge of the lake. Without waiting another moment, Giant charged into the shallows with a mighty splash, laying down on his belly once the water got deep enough and drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

After so much time alone, lost, and confused, Giant had finally found a place where he could – temporarily, at least – feel at peace.

-.-.-.-.-.

Queen awoke to the sound of waves and a faint burning sensation around her flank and legs. Groggily, she raised her head and blinked blearily at her surroundings, noticing with some surprise that she was laying by the lake she sometimes visited to snatch Ducklett eggs. The last thing she remembered was battling with that big purple Pokemon, and then…

The Sceptile tilted her head, realizing that everything after that was either a blur or totally nonexistent in her memory. She remembered experiencing intense pain… then her awareness flickering in and out before the pain started to subside and she drifted off completely.

She yawned and tried to move, but it was difficult. The battle had left her drained of strength and with sore muscles, so she quickly tired out when she attempted to move into a sitting position. All she could do was remain lying on her belly, her head and neck held up. Not even her tail would respond properly, lethargically swishing back and forth on the ground instead of flicking powerfully from side to side like she wanted it to.

Still, Queen supposed she could have gotten off a lot worse. Luckily for her, her wounds weren't as serious as the pain had led her to believe before she fell unconscious…

Wait.

There was suddenly something huge and slimy slithering over her injured leg.

With a sharp, hostile hiss, Queen twisted her head around to glare at whatever had snuck up on her. She was not, however, expecting to see Giant standing there with his feelers sliding over what looked suspiciously like char marks on her flank.

Immediately, panic and anger shot through her system, jarring her onto her feet. Furious at the massive purple interloper, Queen shrieked at him and flexed her claws threateningly – but exhaustion set in frighteningly fast, draining her energy so quickly that the very act of getting to her feet weakened her.

Giant blinked in perhaps the most placid way possible and let out a low groan, a non-threatening sound. Staggering forward, Queen tried to attack him, but ended up stumbling onto her knees as the exhaustion became too much for her. She collapsed on the beach making up the edge of the lake and panted harshly, feeling helpless and frustrated.

Soon, the Goodra's shadow was falling over her, and she reluctantly accepted that this might be the end. She closed her eyes, and… wait a moment, there was that slithering sensation again. Instead of attacking, all the intruder was doing was lightly running his feelers over her injuries and rumbling in a soothing voice.

Could it be possible that he was trying to help her? Even after the ferocious battle they'd waged earlier?

She somehow found the strength to raise her head, and turned it so that she was gazing at the unusual Pokemon with one beady yellow eye as he diligently worked to spread more of his slime over the burns.

Gradually, she felt her anger ebb away. He didn't seem to be interested in hurting her anymore. Instead, it looked more as if he was helping her… to undo what he, himself, had done to her.

The Goodra glanced at her and met her eye, and his expression turned into one of reassurance and patience. He was silently acknowledging what she was, a fighter and predator, but also pleading for her to accept what _he_ was – the complete opposite of she, a healer and protector.

He meant her no harm, only wanted to help – this was Giant's nature. It could not be more alien a concept to Queen.

Still… he was offering to patch up her wounds for her… and the look on his face was so open and innocent…

With a snort, the Sceptile twisted her head back the right way around and laid it on top of her crossed forearms. She would let him do as he wanted, provided he didn't try to harm her further.

Letting out a low, happy rumble at her compliance, Giant continued to apply his slime to the burn marks. As he worked, he slowly felt Queen's muscles relax underneath his antennae. However reluctant she was to come to terms with it, she was getting used to and accepting his presence and his services.

Some hours later, Queen cracked a beady eye open and saw him still diligently working on her injuries. Her brain still a little slow after her nap in the sun, the green reptile sleepily admitted to herself that the stranger was not that bad. He was big, surprisingly so, and he was strong despite what his placid appearance suggested. He seemed to be a natural at treating other Pokemon, and judging from the wounds that he, himself, carried, he had lost his home and was only in her forest in the first place because he had nowhere else to go.

Perhaps she could be generous and allow him to stay.

Satisfied with this, Queen went back to sleep and sighed through her nostrils, starting to enjoy the feeling of Giant's feelers sliding over her back muscles.

Yes… she could get used to having him around.

-.-.-.-.-.

 **Welp, it's finally done. It was a bitch to write, but I like how it turned out, and I hope the person that requested this likes it as well.**

 **I'm planning on making this a series of sorts, so if there are any Pokemon you'd like to see me pair up, feel free to send a request.**


End file.
